Methods for forming semiconductor structures

ABSTRACT

The invention includes a semiconductor structure having a gateline lattice surrounding vertical source/drain regions. In some aspects, the source/drain regions can be provided in pairs, with one of the source/drain regions of each pair extending to a digit line and the other extending to a memory storage device, such as a capacitor. The source/drain regions extending to the digit line can have the same composition as the source/drain regions extending to the memory storage devices, or can have different compositions from the source/drain regions extending to the memory storage devices. The invention also includes methods of forming semiconductor structures. In exemplary methods, a lattice comprising a first material is provided to surround repeating regions of a second material. At least some of the first material is then replaced with a gateline structure, and at least some of the second material is replaced with vertical source/drain regions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to semiconductor structures, memory deviceconstructions, and methods for forming semiconductor structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A continuing goal of semiconductor device application is to increase thelevel of device integration, or in other words to increase the densityof devices across a supporting substrate. Methods for increasing thedensity can include decreasing the size of individual devices, and/orincreasing the packing density of the devices (i.e., reducing the amountof space between adjacent devices). In order to develop higher levels ofintegration, it is desired to develop new device constructions which canbe utilized in semiconductor applications, and to develop new methodsfor fabricating semiconductor device constructions.

A relatively common semiconductor device is a memory device, with adynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell being an exemplary memorydevice. A DRAM cell comprises a transistor and a memory storagestructure, with a typical memory storage structure being a capacitor.Modern applications for semiconductor devices can utilize vast numbersof DRAM unit cells. It would therefore be desirable to develop newsemiconductor device constructions applicable for utilization in DRAMstructures, and it would also be desirable to develop new methods forfabricating DRAM structures.

Although the invention was motivated from the perspective of improvingDRAM structures and methods of forming such structures, the invention isnot to be limited to such aspects. Rather, the invention is only limitedby the accompanying claims as literally worded, without interpretive orother limiting reference to the specification and drawings, and inaccordance with the doctrine of equivalents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming asemiconductor structure. A semiconductor substrate is provided, andfirst and second materials are formed over the substrate. The first andsecond materials are selectively etchable relative to one another. Thefirst material is formed to be a lattice, and the second material isformed to be repeating regions spaced from one another by segments ofthe lattice. The repeating regions form an array. The array has adefined first pitch along a first axis and a defined second pitch alonga second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis. The secondpitch is about twice as big as the first pitch. At least some of thefirst material of the lattice is replaced with one or more conductivematerials of a gateline, and at least some of the second material isreplaced with doped semiconductor material to form vertically-extendingsource/drain regions.

In one aspect, the invention encompasses a semiconductor structure. Thestructure includes a semiconductor substrate and a gateline lattice overthe substrate. The lattice defines an array of non-gateline regionsspaced from one another by segments of the lattice. The array has adefined first pitch along a first axis and a defined second pitch alonga second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis. The secondpitch is about twice as big as the first pitch. The non-gateline regionscomprise vertically-extending source/drain regions.

In one aspect, the invention encompasses a memory device construction.The construction includes a semiconductor substrate, and a gateline overthe substrate. The construction further includes a pair ofvertically-extending source/drain regions over the substrate and atleast partially surrounded by the gateline. One of the source/drainregions is a first source/drain region and consists essentially ofconductively-doped epitaxial silicon, and the other source/drain regionis a second source/drain region which consists essentially ofconductively-doped silicon which is not epitaxial. The source/drainregions are gatedly connected to one another through the gateline. Amemory storage device is electrically connected to either the firstsource/drain region or the second source/drain region. A digit line iselectrically connected to whichever of the first and second source/drainregions is not electrically connected to the memory storage device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1–3 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of a semiconductor construction at a preliminary processingstage. FIGS. 2 and 3 are along the lines 2—2 and 3—3, respectively, ofFIG. 1; FIG. 3 is along the line 3—3 of FIG. 2; and FIG. 2 is along theline 2—2 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 4–6 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views, respectively, of the fragments of FIGS. 1–3, shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 1–3. FIGS. 5 and 6 arealong the lines 5—5 and 6—6 of FIG. 4, respectively; FIG. 6 is along theline 6—6 of FIG. 5; and FIG. 5 is along the line 5—5 of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 7–9 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 4–6. FIGS. 8 and 9 are along the lines 8—8and 9—9, respectively, of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is along the line 9—9 of FIG.8; and FIG. 8 is along the line 8—8 of FIG. 9.

FIGS. 10–12 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3, shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 7–9. FIGS. 11 and 12 are along the lines11—11 and 12—12, respectively, of FIG. 10; FIG. 12 is along the line12—12 of FIG. 11; and FIG. 11 is along the line 11—11 of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 13–15 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 10–12. FIGS. 14 and 15 are along the lines14—14 and 15—15 of FIG. 13; FIG. 15 is along the line 15—15 of FIG. 14;and FIG. 14 is along the line 14—14 of FIG. 15.

FIGS. 16–17 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 13–15. FIGS. 17 and 18 are along the lines17—17 and 18—18, respectively, of FIG. 16; FIG. 18 is along the line18—18 of FIG. 17; and FIG. 17 is along the line 17—17 of FIG. 18.

FIGS. 19–21 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views, respectively, of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 16–18. FIGS. 20 and 21 arealong the lines 20—20 and 21—21, respectively, of FIG. 19; FIG. 21 isalong the line 21—21 of FIG. 20; and FIG. 20 is along the line 20—20 ofFIG. 21.

FIGS. 22–24 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 19–21. FIGS. 23 and 24 are along the lines23—23 and 24—24 of FIG. 22; FIG. 24 is along the line 24—24 of FIG. 23;and FIG. 23 is along the line 23—23 of FIG. 24.

FIGS. 25–27 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 21–23. FIGS. 26 and 27 are along the lines26—26 and 27—27, respectively, of FIG. 25; FIG. 27 is along the line27—27 of FIG. 26; and FIG. 26 is along the line 26—26 of FIG. 27.

FIGS. 28–30 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 24–26. FIGS. 29 and 30 are along the lines29—29 and 30—30 of FIG. 28; FIG. 30 is along the line 30—30 of FIG. 29;and FIG. 29 is along the line 29—29 of FIG. 30.

FIGS. 31–33 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 27–29. FIGS. 32 and 33 are along the lines32—32 and 33—33, respectively, of FIG. 31; FIG. 33 is along the line33—33 of FIG. 32; and FIG. 32 is along the line 32—32 of FIG. 33.

FIG. 34 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional side view of the constructionof FIG. 32 drawn to show structures typically comprising the samecomposition as one another merged into a single structure to simplifythe drawing. The diagrammatic representation of FIG. 34 is utilized inthe figures following FIG. 34.

FIGS. 35–37 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 31–33. FIGS. 36 and 37 are along the lines36—36 and 37—37, respectively, of FIG. 35; FIG. 37 is along the line37—37 of FIG. 36; and FIG. 36 is along the line 36—36 of FIG. 37.

FIGS. 38–40 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 35–37. FIGS. 39 and 40 are along the lines39—39 and 40—40 of FIG. 38; FIG. 40 is along the line 40—40 of FIG. 39;and FIG. 39 is along the line 39—39 of FIG. 40.

FIGS. 41–43 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 38–40. FIGS. 42 and 43 are along the lines42—42 and 43—43 of FIG. 41; FIG. 43 is along the line 43—43 of FIG. 42;and FIG. 42 is along the line of 42—42 of FIG. 43.

FIG. 44 is a diagrammatic view of the construction of FIG. 43 wherestructures which would typically have the same composition are shownmerged with one another. The representation of FIG. 44 will be utilizedin the figures that follow FIG. 44.

FIGS. 45–47 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 41–43. FIGS. 46 and 47 are along the lines46—46 and 47—47 of FIG. 45; FIG. 47 is along the line 47—47 of FIG. 46;and FIG. 46 is along the line 46—46 of FIG. 47.

FIGS. 48–50 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 45–47. FIGS. 49 and 50 are along the linesof 49—49 and 50—50 of FIG. 48; FIG. 50 is along the line of 50—50 ofFIG. 49; and FIG. 49 is along the line of 49—49 of FIG. 50.

FIGS. 51–53 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 48–50. FIGS. 52 and 53 are along the lines52—52 and 53—53 of FIG. 51; FIG. 53 is along the line 53—53 of FIG. 52;and FIG. 52 is along the line 52—52 of FIG. 53.

FIGS. 54–56 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 51–53. FIGS. 55 and 56 are along the lines55—55 and 56—56 of FIG. 54; FIG. 56 is along the line 56—56 of FIG. 55;and FIG. 55 is along the line 55—55 of FIG. 56.

FIGS. 57–59 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 54–56. FIGS. 58 and 59 are along the lines58—58 and 59—59 of FIG. 57; FIG. 59 is along the line 59—59 of FIG. 58;and FIG. 58 is along the line 58—58 of FIG. 59.

FIGS. 60–62 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 57–59. FIGS. 61 and 62 are along the lines61—61 and 62—62 of FIG. 60; FIG. 62 is along the line 62—62 of FIG. 61;and FIG. 61 is along the line 61—61 of FIG. 62.

FIGS. 63–65 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 60–62. FIGS. 64 and 65 are along the lines64–64 and 65—65 of FIG. 63; FIG. 65 is along the lines 65—65 of FIG. 64;and FIG. 64 is along the line 64–64 of FIG. 65.

FIG. 66 is a diagrammatic top view of the construction of FIG. 64, shownwith structures which would typically have the same composition as oneanother merging together to form common structures. The diagrammaticaspects of FIG. 66 will be used in the figures which follow FIG. 66.

FIGS. 67–69 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 63–65. FIGS. 68 and 69 are along the lines68—68 and 69—69 of FIG. 67; FIG. 69 is along the line 69—69 of FIG. 68;and FIG. 68 is along the line 68—68 of FIG. 69.

FIGS. 70–72 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 67–69. FIGS. 71 and 72 are along the lines71—71 and 72—72 of FIG. 70; FIG. 72 is along the line 72—72 of FIG. 71;and FIG. 71 is along the line 71—71 of FIG. 72.

FIGS. 73–75 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 70–72. FIGS. 74 and 75 are along the lines74—74 and 75—75 of FIG. 73; FIG. 75 is along the line 75—75 of FIG. 74;and FIG. 74 is along the line 74—74 of FIG. 75.

FIGS. 76–78 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 73–75. FIGS. 77 and 78 are along the lines77—77 and 78—78 of FIG. 76; FIG. 78 is along the line 78—78 of FIG. 77;and FIG. 77 is along the line 77—77 of FIG. 78.

FIGS. 79–81 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 76–78. FIGS. 80 and 81 are along the lines80—80 and 81—81 of FIG. 79; FIG. 81 is along the line 81—81 of FIG. 80;and FIG. 80 is along the line 80—80 of FIG. 81.

FIGS. 82–84 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 79–81. FIGS. 83 and 84 are along the lines83—83 and 84—84 of FIG. 82; FIG. 84 is along the line 84—84 of FIG. 83;and FIG. 83 is along the line 83—83 of FIG. 84.

FIGS. 85–87 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 82–84. FIGS. 86 and 87 are along the lines86—86 and 87—87 of FIG. 85; FIG. 87 is along the line 87—87 of FIG. 86;and FIG. 86 is along the line 86—86 of FIG. 87.

FIGS. 88–90 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 85–87. FIGS. 89 and 90 are along the lines89—89 and 90—90 of FIG. 88; FIG. 90 is along the line 90—90 of FIG. 89;and FIG. 89 is along the line 89—89 of FIG. 90.

FIGS. 91–93 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 88–90. FIGS. 92 and 93 are along the lines92—92 and 93—93 of FIG. 91; FIG. 93 is along the line 93—93 of FIG. 92;and FIG. 92 is along the line 92—92 of FIG. 93.

FIGS. 94–96 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 91–93. FIGS. 95 and 96 are along the lines95—95 and 96—96 of FIG. 94; FIG. 96 is along the line 96—96 of FIG. 95;and FIG. 95 is along the line 95—95 of FIG. 96.

FIGS. 97–99 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view and cross-sectionalside views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at a processing stagesubsequent to that of FIGS. 94–96. FIGS. 98 and 99 are along the lines98—98 and 99—99 of FIG. 97; FIG. 99 is along the line 99—99 of FIG. 98;and FIG. 98 is along the line 98—98 of FIG. 99.

FIGS. 100–102 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 97–99. FIGS. 101 and 102are along the lines 101—101 and 102—102 of FIG. 100; FIG. 101 is alongthe line 101—101 of FIG. 102; and FIG. 102 is along the line 102—102 ofFIG. 101.

FIGS. 103–105 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 100–102. FIGS. 104 and 105are along the lines 104—104 and 105—105 of FIG. 103; FIG. 105 is alongthe line 105—105 of FIG. 104; and FIG. 104 is along the line 104—104 ofFIG. 105.

FIGS. 106–108 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 103–105. FIGS. 107 and 108are along the lines 107—107 and 108—108 of FIG. 106; FIG. 108 is alongthe line 108—108 of FIG. 107; and FIG. 107 is along the line 107—107 ofFIG. 108.

FIGS. 109–111 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 106–108. FIGS. 110 and 111are along the lines 110—110 and 111—111 of FIG. 109; FIG. 110 is alongthe line 110—110 of FIG. 111; and FIG. 111 is along the line 111—111 ofFIG. 110.

FIGS. 112–114 are a fragmentary, diagrammatic top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 109–111. FIGS. 113 and 114are along the lines 113—113 and 114—114 of FIG. 112; FIG. 114 is alongthe line 114—114 of FIG. 113; and FIG. 113 is along the line 113—113 ofFIG. 114.

FIGS. 115–117 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 112–114. FIGS. 116 and 117are along the lines 116—116 and 117—117 of FIG. 115; FIG. 116 is alongthe line 116—116 of FIG. 117; and FIG. 117 is along the line 117—117 ofFIG. 116.

FIGS. 118–120 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 115–117. FIGS. 119 and 120are along the lines 119—119 and 120—120 of FIG. 118; FIG. 120 is alongthe line 120—120 of FIG. 119; and FIG. 119 is along the line 119—119 ofFIG. 120.

FIGS. 121–123 are a diagrammatic, fragmentary top view andcross-sectional side views of the construction of FIGS. 1–3 shown at aprocessing stage subsequent to that of FIGS. 118–120. FIGS. 122 and 123are along the lines 122—122 and 123—123 of FIG. 121; FIG. 123 is alongthe line 123—123 of FIG. 122; and FIG. 122 is along the line 122—122 ofFIG. 123.

FIG. 124 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary memorydevice construction which can be formed in accordance with an aspect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 125 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of another exemplarymemory device construction which can be formed in accordance with anexemplary aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 126 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of yet anotherexemplary memory device construction which can be formed in accordancewith an exemplary aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 127 is a diagrammatic view of a computer illustrating an exemplaryapplication of the present invention.

FIG. 128 is a block diagram showing particular features of themotherboard of the FIG. 127 computer.

FIG. 129 is a high-level block diagram of an electronic system accordingto an exemplary aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 130 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary memory deviceaccording to an aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of theconstitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progressof science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).

The invention includes methods by which a semiconductor construction isformed to comprise a gateline lattice surrounding a plurality ofsource/drain regions. In some aspects of the invention, suchconstruction can be incorporated into a DRAM array by forming digitlines over and in electrical connection with some of the source/drainregions, and by also forming a plurality of capacitor constructions inelectrical connection with some of the source/drain regions.

Exemplary aspects of the invention are described with reference to FIGS.1–123. Referring initially to FIGS. 1–3, a semiconductor construction 10is illustrated at a preliminary processing stage. Construction 10comprises a substrate 12. Substrate 12 can comprise, consist essentiallyof, or consist of appropriately-doped monocrystalline silicon. To aid ininterpretation of the claims that follow, the terms “semiconductivesubstrate” and “semiconductor substrate” are defined to mean anyconstruction comprising semiconductive material, including, but notlimited to, bulk semiconductive materials such as a semiconductive wafer(either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon), andsemiconductive material layers (either alone or in assemblies comprisingother materials). The term “substrate” refers to any supportingstructure, including, but not limited to, the semiconductive substratesdescribed above.

Construction 10 further comprises a material 14 over substrate 12. Inparticular aspects, material 14 can comprise, consist essentially of, orconsist of silicon dioxide, and can be formed to a thickness of, forexample, about 3,000 Å.

A layer 16 is over material 14. Layer 16 can comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of silicon, such as, for example,polycrystalline silicon, and can be formed to a thickness of, forexample, about 1,000 Å. In particular aspects (discussed below) layer 16can be patterned and utilized as a hard mask. Accordingly, layer 16 canbe referred to as a “hard mask layer” in some aspects of the invention.

In specific aspects of the invention, the structures 12, 14 and 16 ofconstruction 10 can be referred to as a first semiconductor material,oxide-containing material, and silicon-containing hard mask,respectively. In such aspects it is to be understood that material 14can comprise silicon dioxide and/or any other suitable oxide, and thatmaterial 16 can comprise polycrystalline silicon or any other suitableform of silicon. Further, it is to be understood that othersemiconductor materials (discussed below) will ultimately be formed overconstruction 10, and accordingly material 12 can be referred to as afirst semiconductor material to distinguish material 12 from thesubsequent semiconductor materials formed thereover.

Referring next to FIGS. 4–6, a patterned masking material 18 is formedover layer 16. Masking material 18 can, for example, comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of photoresist, and can bephotolithographically patterned into the shown configuration. Thepatterned material 18 is formed as a plurality of spaced lines 20, withsuch lines being separated from one another by gaps 22. There is a pitch19 of the lines and gaps defined by the combined distance of a gap 22and a line 18. The lines 20 can be considered to extend along a definedhorizontal direction.

Referring next to FIGS. 7–9, the pattern from patterned masking material18 (FIGS. 4–6) is transferred to hard mask layer 16. Specifically, gaps22 are transferred through the hard mask layer to leave spaced lines 26of the hard mask layer 16 remaining over material 14. Subsequently, themasking material 18 (FIGS. 4–6) is removed. The lines 26 can beconsidered to extend along the same defined horizontal direction as thelines 20 (FIGS. 4–6).

Referring next to FIGS. 10–12, a thin layer of material 28 is formedover the lines 26 and within gaps 22 to narrow the gaps. Material 28can, for example, comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of anitride-containing material, such as, for example, silicon nitride.Material 28 can be formed to a thickness of, for example, about 160 Å.The lines 26 are shown in dashed-line view in FIG. 10 to indicate thatthe lines are beneath the material 28.

Referring next to FIGS. 13–15, material 28 is patterned into spacers 30with an anisotropic etch. After formation of the spacers 30, narrowedgaps 22 extend to an upper surface of material 14.

Referring next to FIGS. 16–18, the narrowed gaps 22 are extended throughmaterial 14. Gaps 22 at the processing stage of FIGS. 16–18 correspondto openings extending to an upper surface of substrate 12. The gaps areshaped as trenches longitudinally elongated along thehorizontally-defined direction of the lines 20 of patterned mask 18(FIGS. 4–6).

Referring next to FIGS. 19–21, spacers 32 are formed within openings 22to narrow the openings. Spacers 32 can, for example, comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of a nitride-containing material, such as,for example, silicon nitride. Spacers 32 can be formed by providing athin layer of nitride-containing material (such as, for example, a layerapproximately 80 Å thick of silicon nitride) over lines 26 and withinopenings 22, and subsequently utilizing an anisotropic etch to convertthe layer to the shown spacers 32.

Spacers 32 and 28 together form spacer constructions 34. In someaspects, spacers 32 and 28 can be identical in composition to oneanother, and accordingly will merge together in the spacer constructions34. The spacer constructions 34 narrow openings 22, and as can be seenin FIG. 19 form strips extending longitudinally in the horizontaldirection along interior lateral peripheries of the trenchescorresponding to openings 22.

Referring next to FIGS. 22–24, openings 22 are extended into substrate12 with a suitable etch. If substrate 12 comprises bulk silicon, theetch can be a dry etch. Such etch can extend openings 22 approximately2,000 Å into the substrate 12.

Masking layer 16 (FIGS. 19–21) is removed at the processing stage ofFIGS. 22–24. Such removal can occur before, after or during theextension of openings 22 into substrate 12. Typically, the etch utilizedto extend openings 22 into substrate 12 would be nonselective relativeto material of layer 16, and accordingly layer 16 will be removed duringthe extension of the openings into substrate 12.

The removal of hard mask material 16 leaves gaps 36 over material 14 andbetween the spacers 34. Accordingly, spacers 34 can be considered toform paired lines on either side of openings 22, or alternatively can beconsidered to form paired lines on either side of gaps 36. For instance,FIG. 23 shows three of the spacers 34 labeled as 33, 35 and 37. Spacers33 and 35 can be considered to form a pair of lines on opposing sides ofthe gap 22 extending between the spacers. Alternatively, spacers 35 and37 can be considered to form a pair of lines on opposing sides of thegap 36 extending between the spacers.

After openings 22 are extended into substrate 14, the openings can beconsidered to comprise a first portion 38 extending within thesemiconductor substrate 12, and a second portion 40 over the firstportion.

Referring next to FIGS. 25–27, dielectric material 42 is provided withinthe first portion 38 of openings 22 to fill the first portion, whileleaving the second portion 40 of the openings not filled. Dielectricmaterial 42 can, for example, comprise, consist essentially of, orconsist of silicon dioxide. If substrate 12 comprises monocrystallinesilicon, dielectric material 42 can be formed by oxidizing substrate 12.Suitable exemplary oxidation conditions are conditions which form oxide42 to a thickness of about 100 Å, which can be sufficient to fill thelower portions of the openings 22.

Referring next to FIGS. 28–30, a material 44 is provided within gaps 22and 36. The material fills gaps 22 and narrows gaps 36. Material 44 can,for example, comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of anitride-containing material, such as, silicon nitride. Material 44 canbe formed to a thickness of, for example, about 160 Å.

Structures 34 are shown in dashed-line view in 28 to indicate that thestructures are beneath material 44.

Referring next to FIGS. 31–33, material 44 is subjected to anappropriate etch to form spaced pillars 46. The pillars 46 extend overmaterial 14. Gaps 48 are between the spaced pillars and separate thepillars from one another. Gaps 48 are over oxide material 14, with eachgap extending horizontally linearly along a horizontally-extending lineof the oxide material 14. Gaps 48 can be referred to as second gaps todistinguish the gaps from the gaps 22 discussed previously.

Referring next to FIG. 34, such shows construction 10 at the processingstage of FIG. 32, but shows components which are typically of similarcomposition to one another merging into single components. Specifically,the materials 28, 32 and 44 would typically all consist essentially ofthe same composition as one another (such as, for example, siliconnitride), and accordingly pillars 46 would homogeneously comprise asingle material. FIG. 34 thus shows the pillars 46 comprising the samehomogeneous material, with such material being indicated by the label47. The representation of FIG. 34 will be used in the drawings thatfollow in order to simplify the drawings, but it is to be understoodthat the aspect represented by FIG. 34 is but one aspect of theinvention, and the invention encompasses other aspects in which thematerials 28, 32 and 44 are not all the same composition as one another.

Referring next to FIGS. 35–37, gaps 48 are extended through material 14with a suitable etch. In exemplary aspects, material 14 can consistessentially of silicon dioxide and material 47 can consist essentiallyof silicon nitride, and the etch can be a dry etch selective for silicondioxide relative to silicon nitride. In some aspects of the invention,the processing described herein is utilized to form a DRAM array. Insuch aspects, it can be desired to protect a region peripheral to thearray with photoresist or other suitable protective material during theetch utilized to extend openings 48 to substrate 12.

Referring next to FIGS. 38–40, construction 10 is subjected toplanarization (such as, for example, chemical-mechanical polishing) toplanarize an upper surface of the construction. Such planarizationremoves material 47 from over material 14 to create resultant pillars 50comprising planarized upper surfaces 51. Each of the pillars comprises asingle line of material 47 sandwiched between a pair of lines ofmaterial 14. The lines extend along the horizontal direction, as can beseen in FIG. 38. The pillars 50 are separated from one another by thegaps 48.

Although upper surface 51 is shown at about the same elevationallocation as the original upper surface of material 14, it is to beunderstood that the planarization can remove some of material 14 so thatsurface 51 is below the original surface of 14 in some aspects of theinvention. The height of the pillars 50 remaining after thechemical-mechanical polishing can be, in some aspects of the invention,about 5500 Å.

Referring next to FIGS. 41–43, a material 52 is deposited within gaps48, and over pillars 50 (the pillars can also be referred to as lines,in that the pillars extend longitudinally in the horizontal direction).Material 52 can, for example, comprise, consist essentially of, orconsist of a nitride-containing material, such as, for example, siliconnitride. In particular aspects of the invention, material 52 is providedto a thickness of about 200 Å, which is sufficient to completely fillgaps 48. Layers 14 and 47 are shown in dashed-line view in FIG. 41 toindicate that such layers are beneath the material 52.

In particular aspects of the invention, materials 52 and 47 willcomprise the same composition as one another, and accordingly will mergeinto a single structure. Such aspects are shown in FIG. 44, in which asingle material 53 represents the combination of materials 52 and 47.Material 53 can, for example, comprise, consist essentially of, orconsist of silicon nitride. The aspect of FIG. 44 will be utilized inthe drawings following FIG. 44 in order to simply the drawings.Accordingly, the drawings will utilize composition 53 in place of thecompositions 47 and 52 (FIG. 42). However, it is to be understood thatthe invention encompasses aspects in which compositions 47 and 52 differfrom one another. There is a repeating pattern in FIG. 44 comprised bypedestals 14 and the material 53 in the gaps between the pedestals, withsuch pattern defining a pitch 55 comprising the distance of one gap andone of the pedestals 14.

Referring to FIGS. 45–47, a patterned masking material 54 is providedover material 53. Masking material 54 can comprise, for example,photoresist, and accordingly can be patterned by photolithographicprocessing. Patterned material 54 comprises a plurality ofvertically-extending lines 56 which are spaced from one another by gaps58.

The lines 56 and spaces 58 form a repeating pattern, with such patternhaving a pitch 59 defined as the distance of one gap 58 and one line 56.In particular aspects of the invention, the pitch 59 and the pitch 19(FIG. 5) will be about the same as one another, and the pitch 55 (FIG.44) will be about one-half of the pitches 19 and 59.

Referring next to FIGS. 48–50, gaps 58 are extended through materials 53and 14, and subsequently masking layer 54 (FIGS. 45–47) is removed. Suchforms vertically-extending lines 60 from materials 14 and 53. Such linescan be considered to be separated from one another byvertically-extending trenches corresponding to the openings 58.

Referring next to FIGS. 51–53, a material 62 is provided over lines 60and within gaps 58. Material 62 can, for example, comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of silicon nitride, and can be formed to athickness of about 375 Å. Material 62 partially fills gaps 58 to narrowthe gaps. Lines 60 are shown in dashed-line view in FIG. 51 to indicatethat the lines are beneath material 62.

Referring next to FIGS. 54–56, material 62 is anisotropically etched toform spacers 64. After formation of spacers 64, gaps 58 extend betweenthe spacers to an upper surface of substrate 12.

Referring next to FIGS. 57–59, openings 58 are extended into substrate12 and subsequently a dielectric material 66 is formed within theopenings. The openings can be extended into substrate 12 to a depth of,for example, about 2000 Å. Dielectric material 66 can comprise, forexample, silicon dioxide, and in applications in which substrate 12comprises monocrystalline silicon can be formed by oxidizing silicon.The openings 58 can be considered to considered to comprise a lowerportion 68 and an upper portion 70, with the lower portion 68 beingfilled with dielectric material 66 and the upper portion 70 not beingfilled.

Referring next to FIGS. 60–62, a material 72 is formed over lines 60 andwithin gaps 58. Material 72 can, for example, comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of an oxide-containing material, such as, forexample, silicon dioxide. In exemplary aspects, material 72 is depositedto a thickness of about 350 Å. The materials 53 and 62 are shown indashed-line view in FIG. 60 to indicate that such materials are undermaterial 72.

Referring next to FIGS. 63–65, an upper surface of construction 10 issubjected to planarization to form the planarized upper surface 75. Theplanarization removes materials 72 and 53 from over upper surfaces ofmaterial 14. The planarization can also remove some of material 14 sothat the planarized surface 75 is beneath the initial elevational levelof the upper surface of material 14. The planarization can beaccomplished by, for example, chemical-mechanical polishing, and can beconducted to leave upper surface 75 about 5500 Å above an uppermostsurface of substrate 12 in exemplary embodiments. After theplanarization, the alternating layers 53 and 14 extend along a verticaldirection and the alternating layers 14, 62 and 72 extend along ahorizontal direction, as illustrated in the top view of FIG. 63.

In particular aspects, material 53 is (i.e. consists of) siliconnitride, material 14 is silicon dioxide, material 62 is silicon nitride,and material 72 is silicon dioxide. Accordingly, the planarized surface75 of FIG. 64 extends across alternating layers of silicon nitride andsilicon oxide; and similarly the planarized upper surface 75 of FIG. 65also extends across alternating surfaces of silicon dioxide and siliconnitride. This concept is illustrated in FIG. 66, which is a simplifiedtop view at the processing stage of FIG. 63 where layers which wouldtypically have the same composition as one another are shown mergedtogether. Specifically, layers 53 and 62 would typically comprise thesame composition as one another, and can, in particular aspects,comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of silicon nitride. Suchlayers are shown merged together in FIG. 66 to form a single structure76. The materials 14 and 72 are shown extending through the structure76. In particular aspects, materials 14 and 72 will comprise the samecomposition as one another, and can, for example, comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of silicon dioxide.

Materials 76 and 14 can, in some aspects, be materials which areselectively etchable relative to one another. In such aspects, material76 can be considered a first material which is formed in a lattice, andmaterial 14 can be considered to be a second material which is formed tobe repeating regions spaced by segments of the lattice. The repeatingregions 14 form an array, with such array having a first pitch 80 alongthe a first axis of the array (with the pitch 80 being shown along avertically-elongated axis of the shown array), and having a second pitch82 along a second axis which is substantially orthogonal to the firstaxis (with the shown second pitch being along a horizontally-extendingaxis of the array). The second pitch is about twice as big as the firstpitch.

Although the invention is described with the first material 76 beingsilicon nitride and the second material 14 being silicon dioxide, it isto be understood that the materials can be reversed in other aspects ofthe invention. Accordingly, material 14 can comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of silicon nitride, and material 76 cancomprise, consist essentially of, or consist of silicon dioxide.

The terms “horizontal” and “vertical” are utilized in reference to thetop view of FIG. 66 to refer to axes which extend left-right across thepage and up-down across the page, respectively. It is to be understoodthat the term “vertical” can also be utilized herein to refer toprojections extending upwardly from a substrate, and accordingly theterm “vertical” can be utilized in reference to the structure of, forexample, FIG. 65 to refer to the projections 14, 62 and 72 as extending“vertically” from the upper surface of substrate 12. In order to avoidconfusion introduced by using the term “vertically” to refer to both alateral direction and an elevational direction, the terms “elevationallyvertically elongated” and “elevationally elongated” can be used hereinto refer to projections extending upwardly from a surface (such as, forexample, the projections 14, 62 and 72 of FIG. 65).

The simplified diagram of FIG. 66 will be utilized in the figuresfollowing FIG. 66 in order to simplify the discussion that follows.However, it is to be understood that the invention encompasses aspectsin which materials 53 and 62 (FIG. 63) are different from one another sothat the materials do not merge into the single common structure 76.

Referring next to FIGS. 67–69, a masking material 84 is formed overregions 72 to protect the regions from subsequent processing (discussedbelow). Masking material 84 can comprise, for example, photoresist, andcan be patterned utilizing photolithographic processing. The maskingmaterial 84 forms vertically-extending lines (or strips) in the top viewof FIG. 67. The material 72 is shown in dashed-line view in FIG. 67 toindicate the material 72 is beneath masking material 84 in the shownview. The cross-sections of FIGS. 68 and 69 have different labeling thanthose of FIGS. 64 and 65, in that the label 76 is utilized to refer tothe materials 53 and 62 of FIGS. 64 and 65, to be consistent with thelabeling convention described previously with reference to FIG. 66 andadopted in the figures following FIG. 66.

Referring next to FIGS. 70–72, material 14 is selectively removedrelative to material 76, and subsequently masking material 84 (FIGS.67–69) is removed. The removal of material 14 forms openings 86extending through material 76 to an upper surface of substrate 12. Ifmaterial 14 comprises silicon dioxide, and material 76 comprises siliconnitride, the selective removal of material 14 can be accomplished with,for example, a dry or wet oxide etch.

Referring next to FIGS. 73–75, semiconductor material 88 is formedwithin openings 86. Material 88 can be formed by, for example, formingpolycrystalline silicon within openings 86 and over material 76, andsubsequently removing the polycrystalline silicon from over material 76by planarization or other suitable methods. Alternatively, if substrate12 comprises a monocrystalline semiconductive material (such as, forexample, monocrystalline silicon), material 88 can be epitaxially grownfrom an upper surface of substrate 12. Epitaxially grown semiconductormaterial is generally single crystal material, whereas non-epitaxiallygrown semiconductor material is typically not single crystal material.Rather, non-epitaxially grown semiconductor material is typicallyamorphous and/or polycrystalline.

Material 88 is shown having an uppermost surface which is elevationallybelow the uppermost surface of materials 76 and 72, but it is to beunderstood that the uppermost surface of material 88 can be coplanarwith those of material 76 and 72, or can be elevationally above thesurfaces of material 76 and 72, in various alternative aspects of theinvention which are not shown.

Although all of the openings are shown simultaneously filled withmaterial 88, it is to be understood that the openings can be dividedinto sets, with one set filled with semiconductor material 88 of onetype and another set filled with semiconductor material 88 of anothertype. For instance, the semiconductor material 88 within openings 86 canultimately correspond to source/drain regions, with some of thesource/drain regions ultimately being connected to a digit line, andothers of the source/drain regions ultimately being connected to memorystorage devices (such as, for example, capacitors). The material 88utilized in source/drain regions connected to digit lines can be one setand the material 88 utilized in source/drain regions connected to memorystorage devices can be another set. Thus, the material 88 connected todigit lines can be a different semiconductor material than the material88 connected to memory storage devices. For instance, the semiconductormaterial 88 ultimately connected to digit lines can be formed ofepitaxial material, and the material 88 ultimately connected to memorystorage devices can be formed of polycrystalline semiconductor material.P-n junctions in epitaxial silicon tend to be leakier than p-n junctionsin bulk silicon, which can be advantageous in some aspects of theinvention. Such aspects are discussed in more detail below relative toFIGS. 124–126.

The semiconductor material 88 can be conductively doped eitheras-deposited (i.e., can be in situ doped), and/or can be dopedsubsequent to the deposition with one or more suitable implants. Also,regions of substrate 12 proximate openings 86 can be appropriatelyconductively doped either prior to provision of material 88 within theopenings, or after provision of material 88 with suitable implantsand/or out-diffusion of dopant from material 88. In some aspects,substrate 12 will have appropriate conductivity-enhancing dopantsprovided therein at a processing stage prior to that of FIGS. 1–3, andspecifically prior to formation of material 14 over the substrate. Inalternative, or additional, aspects dopant will be provided in thesubstrate after the formation of openings 86 so that the dopant isself-aligned to the openings. Particular dopants that can be providedwithin substrate 12 and regions 88 in particular aspects of theinvention are discussed below with reference to FIGS. 124–126.

In exemplary aspects of the invention, material 88 comprises, consistsessentially of, or consists of epitaxially-grown silicon which isin-situ doped during the growth of the silicon, and which is grown to athickness (i.e., a vertical height in FIGS. 74 and 75) of about 1400 Å.

Referring next to FIGS. 76–78, material 76 (FIGS. 73–75) is removed toleave openings 90. The openings extend between the vertical lines ofmaterial 72 and around the pillars of material 88. The openings 90extend to the upper surface of substrate 12, and also to the uppersurface of the dielectric material 42 formed within substrate 12.

The removal of material 76 is preferably selective for material 76relative to materials 88 and 72 (with the term “selective” indicatingthat the conditions for removal of material 76 remove the material at afaster rate than such conditions remove materials 88 and 72, which caninclude, but is not limited to, aspects in which the rate of removal ofmaterials 88 and 72 is about zero). In aspects in which material 76consists of silicon nitride, material 88 consists of conductively-dopedsilicon, and material 72 consists silicon dioxide, the selective removalof material 76 can comprise a dry and/or wet etch of silicon nitride.

Referring next to FIGS. 79–81, a dielectric layer 92 is formed withinopenings 90, and specifically is formed over exposed surfaces ofmaterial 88 and substrate 12. Pedestals 88 are shown in dashed-line viewin FIG. 79 to indicate that such pedestals are beneath the dielectricmaterial 92 in such view.

If material 88 and substrate 12 comprise silicon, dielectric material 92can comprise silicon dioxide and can be formed by oxidation of surfacesof substrate 12 and material 88. Dielectric 92 can thus comprise,consist essentially of, or consist of silicon dioxide. In the aspect ofFIGS. 79–81, dielectric material 92, material 42, material 72 andmaterial 66 are shown comprising the same composition as one another andmerging into a common dielectric structure. Materials 92, 42, 72 and 66would typically all comprise, consist essentially of, or consist ofsilicon dioxide. The merging of materials 92, 42, 72 and 66 simplifiesthe drawings, and such merging will be shown in the drawings followingFIGS. 79–81, but it is to be understood that the invention alsoencompasses aspects in which one or more of materials 92, 42, 72 and 66has a different composition than the others.

Dielectric material 92 can ultimately be utilized as a gate oxide, andin such aspects of the invention can be formed to a thickness of about70 Å.

Referring next to FIGS. 82–84, gateline material 94 is formed withinopenings 90. Although material 94 is illustrated as being homogeneous inthe figures, it is to be understood that the structure represented bythe label “94” can comprise a plurality of different layers. Inparticular aspects, material 94 can comprise, consist essentially of, orconsist of metal, metal alloys and/or conductively-doped silicon. It canbe preferred that material 94 comprise, consist essentially of, orconsist of conductively-doped polycrystalline silicon in some aspects ofthe invention. Material 94 is shown only partially filling openings 90,but it is to be understood that the invention encompasses other aspects(not shown) in which material 94 completely fills the openings. In anexemplary aspect, material 94 comprises conductively-dopedpolycrystalline silicon which is initially deposited to 300 Å thickness.Such thickness can be sufficient to completely fill openings 90 as thewidth of the openings is less than 600 Å. Thus, the polysilicondeposited to a thickness of 300 Å can form vertical pedestals within theopenings having a height of 2000 Å or more. The polycrystalline siliconis then etched back with a dry etch so that the silicon within theopenings 90 only extends to an upper elevational level of about 850 Å.

The gateline material 94 gatedly connects source/drain regions of pairsof pedestals of material 88 to form transistor constructions. A pair ofpedestals which can be gatedly connected to one another and incorporatedinto a single transistor construction are identified by the label 89 inFIG. 83.

Referring next to FIGS. 85–87, construction 10 is subjected toappropriate conditions which remove exposed portions of material 72 andof dielectric 92. In exemplary aspects, both material 72 and dielectric92 consist of silicon dioxide, and the conditions utilized to removeexposed portions of material 72 and dielectric 92 are a wet oxide etchwhich removes about 150 Å of oxide. The removal of the dielectricmaterial from over pedestals 88 exposes upper surfaces of the pedestals.

Referring next to FIGS. 88–90, a second dielectric material is formedover gateline material 94 and exposed surfaces of pedestals 88. Inparticular aspects, the second dielectric material comprises the samecomposition as first dielectric material 92 (FIGS. 85–87). For instance,the first and second dielectric materials can both comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of silicon dioxide. The second dielectricmaterial is shown comprising the same composition as material 92, andaccordingly the two dielectric materials merge to form a singledielectric material 98. In aspects in which the second dielectricmaterial consists essentially of silicon dioxide, material 88 comprisessilicon and material 94 comprises silicon, the second dielectricmaterial can be formed by oxidation of exposed surfaces of materials 88and 94. In such aspects, the second dielectric material can consist ofsilicon dioxide formed to a thickness of about 70 Å. The material 98comprising the combined first and second dielectric materials canconsist of silicon dioxide and have a thickness of about 70 Åthroughout.

In particular aspects of the invention, pedestals 88 arevertically-elongated source/drain regions (specifically, elevationallyvertically elongated), and material 94 is a gateline extending aroundthe source/drain regions. It is noted that dielectric material 98 andgateline material 94 of FIGS. 88–90 have together replaced the firstmaterial 76 of FIG. 66, and vertically-elongated source/drain regions 88have replaced the second material 14 of FIG. 66. Accordingly, thegateline material 94 of FIGS. 88–90 now forms a lattice comparable tothe lattice formed by material 76 of FIG. 66, and the source/drainregions 88 form an array with repeating regions spaced from one anotherby segments of the lattice. The array has the first pitch along a firstaxis discussed with reference to FIG. 66, and the second pitch along asecond axis orthogonal to the first axis, with the second pitch beingabout twice as big as the first pitch. In particular aspects, the firstmaterial 76 is silicon nitride and the second material 14 is non-nitridematerial (for example, silicon dioxide), and accordingly the inventionencompasses replacing at least some of the silicon nitride lattice withone or conductive materials of a gateline, and replacing at least someof the non-nitride regions within the lattice with doped semiconductormaterial to form vertically-extending source/drain regions. In otheraspects of the invention, the composition of the lattice 76 and thespaced regions 14 can be reversed, so that the lattice of FIG. 66 issilicon dioxide and the spaced regions 14 are non-oxide materials (forexample, silicon nitride). In such aspects, at least some of the silicondioxide lattice can be replaced with one or more conductive materials ofthe gateline, and at least some of the non-oxide regions 14 can bereplaced with vertically-extending source/drain regions.

In the aspect of the invention of FIGS. 66–90, spaced regions 14 of FIG.66 are replaced with source/drain material before the lattice material76 is replaced with gateline material. It is to be understood, however,that the invention encompasses other aspects in which the lattice isreplaced with one or more gateline materials before the regions 14 arereplaced with source/drain materials.

Referring next to FIGS. 91–93, an electrically insulative cappingmaterial 100 is formed over the dielectric material 98. Capping material100 can comprise any suitable electrically insulative material, and inparticular aspects will comprise, consist essentially of, or consist ofsilicon nitride. Such silicon nitride can be formed to a thickness of,for example, about 200 Å. The materials 72 and 88 are shown indashed-line view in FIG. 91 to indicate that such regions are belowother materials in the shown view.

Referring next to FIGS. 94–96, material 100 is subjected to a spaceretch which forms spacers 102 and openings 104 extending between thespacers.

Referring next to FIGS. 97–99, an electrically insulative material 106is formed over the spacers 102 of material 100, and within openings 104.Material 106 can comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of, forexample, silicon dioxide, and can be formed to a thickness of, forexample, about 500 Å.

Referring next to FIGS. 100–102, an upper surface of construction 10 isplanarized to remove materials 106 and 98 from over upper surfaces ofpedestals 88, and to thereby expose the upper surfaces of pedestals 88.The planarization of material 106 forms a planarized surface 107. Theplanarization can be accomplished by, for example, chemical-mechanicalpolishing, and can be conducted down to an elevational level of about4300 Å above the uppermost surface of substrate 12. The materials 106and 98 can be identical to one another, and in particular aspects canboth be silicon dioxide.

Referring next to FIGS. 103–105, a dielectric material 110 is formedover planarized surface 107 and a patterned masking material 112 isformed over dielectric material 110. Material 110 can comprise anysuitable material, and in particular aspects will comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of silicon dioxide. If material 110 issilicon dioxide, such can be formed to an exemplary thickness of about200 Å. Patterned masking material 112 can be, for example, photoresist,which is formed into the shown pattern with photolithographicprocessing. Material 112 is shown to form a plurality ofhorizontally-extending strips 114 in the views of FIGS. 103 and 104,with such strips being spaced from one another by gaps 116. Pedestals 88are shown in dashed-line view in the top view of FIG. 103, to indicatethat such pedestals have other materials thereover.

Referring next to FIGS. 106–108, gaps 116 are extended through material110, and subsequently masking layer 112 (FIGS. 103–105) is removed. Inaspects in which material 110 comprises silicon dioxide, the etchthrough material 110 can comprise a dry etch which removes at leastabout 300 Å of silicon dioxide. Such etch exposes upper surfaces of oneset of the conductive pedestals, while leaving another set of theconductive pedestals covered by material 110. The exposed sets andcovered sets alternate in horizontally-extending lines in the top viewof FIG. 106. The exposed set of pedestals is ultimately connected todigit lines while the covered sets will ultimately be connected tomemory storage devices, as will become more clear in the discussion thatfollows.

The material 110 remaining after gaps 116 are extended through material110 is in the form of a plurality of lines 118 extending along ahorizontal direction in the top view of FIG. 106.

Referring next to FIGS. 109–111, a first conductive digit line material120 is formed within gaps 116 and over the lines 118 of material 110.Conductive digit line material 120 contacts the set of pedestals exposedwithin gaps 116, but does not contact the set of pedestals protected bylines 118 of material 110. Conductive material 120 can comprise anysuitable electrically conductive material, and in particular aspectswill comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of conductively-dopedsilicon. For instance, material 120 can be conductively-dopedpolycrystalline silicon formed to a thickness of about 500 Å.

A second conductive digit line material 122 is formed over the firstconductive digit line material 120. Second material 122 can comprise anysuitable material, and in particular aspects will comprise, consistessentially of, or consist of metal and/or metal compounds. Forinstance, material 122 can comprise, consist essentially of, or consistof tungsten. In an exemplary application, material 122 can be tungstenformed to a thickness of about 500 Å.

An electrically insulative cap 124 is formed over second conductivelayer 122. Electrically insulative cap can comprise any suitablematerial, and in particular aspects will be a nitride-containingmaterial. For instance, cap 124 can be silicon nitride formed to athickness of about 1000 Å.

A patterned masking material 126 is formed over cap 124. Maskingmaterial 126 can be, for example, photoresist formed into the shownpattern with photolithographic processing. Mask 126 is formed in aseries of lines 128 spaced from one another by gaps 130. Mask 126defines a digit line pattern. The lines 126 and gaps 130 are illustratedin the top view of FIG. 109 as extending in a horizontally-elongateddirection. The pedestals 88 are shown in dashed-line view in FIG. 109 toindicate that the pedestals are beneath other materials.

Referring next to FIGS. 112–114, a pattern is transferred from patternedmasking layer 126 (FIGS. 109–111) through layers 120, 122 and 124, andsubsequently masking layer 126 is removed. The transferring of thepattern through layers 120, 122 and 124 extends gap 130 through thelayers, and forms the layers 120, 122 and 124 into patterned stackscorresponding to horizontally-extending digit line stacks 132.

The materials 120, 122 and 124 can be patterned utilizing any suitableetch or combination of etches. For instance, material 124 can be siliconnitride, and can be patterned utilizing a dry etch; material 122 can betungsten, and can be patterned utilizing a dry etch; and material 120can be polysilicon and can be patterned utilizing a dry etch.

The conductive digit line material 120 contacts a first set of pedestals88, and a second set of pedestals is exposed within openings 130. Thefirst set of pedestals is shown in dashed-line view in FIG. 112 toindicate that such set is covered by other materials in the shown view.

Referring next to FIGS. 115–117, insulative material spacers 134 areformed along stacks 132. Spacers 134 can comprise, consist essentiallyof, or consist of silicon nitride, and can be formed by depositing alayer of silicon nitride having a thickness of about 200 Å, andsubsequently subjecting such layer to an anisotropic spacer etch.Spacers 134 narrow openings 130 between the stacks 132.

An electrically insulative material 136 is formed within the openings130, and also over stacks 132. Electrically insulative material 136 can,for example, comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of silicondioxide. In particular aspects, material 136 is silicon dioxide formedto a thickness of about 3000 Å. Alternatively, material 136 can beborophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) formed to a thickness of about 3000 Å.Material 136 has a planarized upper surface 137 which can be formed by,for example, chemical-mechanical polishing across the surface ofmaterial 136. In particular aspects, material 136 is chemical-mechanicalpolished so that the remaining thickness of material 136 from a base ofopenings 130 to an uppermost surface of the material 136 is about 7000Å.

A patterned masking material 138 is formed over material 136. Material138 can be photoresist formed into the shown pattern byphotolithographic processing. Patterned mask 138 is formed in a seriesof lines 140 spaced from one another by gaps 142. The lines and gapsextend in a horizontal direction in the top view of FIG. 115. Thepedestals 88 are shown diagrammatically in top view 115 to provide areference of the location of lines 140.

Referring next to FIGS. 118–120, gaps 142 are extended through material136 to expose the set of pedestals which is not covered by digit linestacks 132, and subsequently patterned mask 138 (FIGS. 115–117) isremoved.

The etch utilized to extend through material 136 is preferably selectivefor material 136 relative to the material of spacers 134. Accordingly,the spacers protect conductive digit line materials 120 and 122 frombeing exposed during the removal of material 136. In particular aspects,material 136 can be silicon dioxide, spacers 134 can be silicon nitride,and the etch utilized to remove material 136 can be a dry etch whichremoves about 4000 Å of silicon dioxide.

Referring next to FIGS. 121–123, an electrically conductive material 146is formed within gaps 142. Electrically conductive material 146 cancomprise any suitable material. In particular aspects, the conductivematerial will comprise, consist essentially of, or consist ofconductively-doped silicon. For instance, material 146 can beconductively-doped polycrystalline silicon formed to a thickness ofabout 500 Å. The material 146 would typically be formed over material136, and then subjected to planarization to form the shown planarizedupper surface 147 extending across materials 136 and 146.

A plurality of memory storage devices 145, 148, 150 and 152 arediagrammatically illustrated as being electrically connected withconductive material 146. The memory storage devices can comprise, forexample, capacitors, and are electrically connected through conductivepedestals defined by material 146 to underlying source/drain regionsincorporated within the pedestals 88.

The top view of FIG. 121 shows that the pedestals 146 and digit linestacks 132 form alternating horizontally-elongated rows. Although notshown in FIG. 121, it is to be understood that there would typically beisolation regions provided along the horizontally-extending row ofconductive pedestals 146 so that each of the source/drain regions 88along the row would be electrically connected to a single memory storageunit electrically separated from the memory storage units that othersource/drain regions along the same row are connected to. Thus, eachsource/drain region within the row can be utilized to store a single bitof information.

The source/drain regions electrically connected to conductive pedestalmaterial 146 are paired with source/drain regions electrically connectedto digit line stacks 132 to define individual transistors. Such pairingis illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 121 by the brackets 160 and 162which illustrate exemplary source/drain regions which can be pairedwithin individual transistors. The gateline material 94 defines the gateof the transistor which gatedly connects the paired source/drain regionsto one another. Particular transistor constructions which can beutilized in exemplary aspects of the present invention are describedwith reference to FIGS. 124–126.

Referring to FIG. 124, a fragment of construction 10 is illustrated incross-sectional view at a processing stage at or after the processingstage of FIGS. 82–84 in accordance with an exemplary aspect of theinvention. In referring to the construction of FIG. 124, identicalnumbering will be used as was used above in describing FIGS. 1–123,where appropriate. Accordingly, the construction 10 of FIG. 124 is shownto comprise the substrate 12, gateline material 94, and gate dielectricmaterial 92 described previously. The construction of FIG. 124 furthercomprises a pair of pedestals 200 and 202 which are particular aspectsof the pedestals 88 described previously. The pedestals 200 and 202 arepaired within a transistor construction, and accordingly can correspondto a pair of the pedestals along the cross-sectional view 83, such asthe paired pedestals 89 discussed above with reference to FIG. 83. Thepedestals and gateline material differ in FIG. 124 relative to pedestalsand gateline material described previously in this application in thatthe pedestals of FIG. 124 are at about the same elevational height oversubstrate 12 as is the gateline material, whereas such was not the casein the aspects of the invention described with reference to FIGS. 1–123.The gateline/pedestal relationships of FIG. 124 and of FIGS. 1–123 canbe utilized interchangeably in the various aspects of the inventiondescribed herein.

One of the pedestals 88 of the FIG. 124 construction can ultimately be asource/drain region utilized to electrically connect to a digit line,and the other can ultimately be a source/drain region utilized toelectrically connect to a memory storage device. In order to distinguishthe pedestals from one another, one of the pedestals is labeled as 200,and the other is labeled as 202. In exemplary aspects, the pedestal 200will be utilized for connecting to a digit line and the pedestal 202would be utilized for connecting to a memory device, but it is to beunderstood that the utilizations of the pedestals can be reversed. Thegateline material 94 between pedestals 200 and 202 ultimately functionsas a transistor gate of a transistor device, and such transistor gategatedly connects a source/drain region associated with pedestal 202 witha source/drain region associated with pedestal 200.

Each of pedestals 200 and 202 has a heavily-doped region source/drain inan uppermost portion of the pedestal, with the heavily-doped region ofpedestal 200 being labeled 204 and the heavily-doped region of pedestal202 being labeled 206. In the shown exemplary aspect of the invention,both heavily-doped regions are doped to be n-type doped regions. Theregions are shown to be n+ regions to indicate that the regions aredoped comparatively heavily relative to other regions of the FIG. 124construction.

Pedestal 202 comprises a lightly-doped region extending from the heavilydoped region 206 to an upper surface of substrate 12, with suchlightly-doped region being indicated to be n−. Substrate 12 comprises adiffusion region 210 therein, and the lightly-doped portion of pedestal88 is shown electrically connecting with the diffusion region 210. Inthe shown aspect of the invention, the diffusion region 210 is doped toan n-level.

Pedestal 200 comprises an intermediately doped region extending from theheavily-doped region 204 to an upper surface of substrate 12. Theintermediately-doped region is shown to be a p-type region, and islabeled as being “p”. Such label indicates that the region is moreheavily doped than would be a p− or n− region, but less heavily dopedthan would be an n+ or p+ region.

Substrate 12 comprises a conductively-doped diffusion region 212 beneathpedestal 200, and the intermediately-doped region of pedestal 200 isshown electrically connecting with conductively-doped region 212. In theshown aspect of the invention, conductively-doped region 212 is shown tobe lightly doped with p-type dopant, and accordingly is shown as a p−region.

Substrate 12 has a p− region interconnecting the diffusion regions 210and 212.

The transistor gate of gateline 94 gatedly connects the heavily-dopedsource/drain region 204 with the heavily-doped source/drain region 206through the conductively-doped pedestals 200 and 202, through theconductively-doped regions 210 and 212, and through the p− region ofsubstrate 12. The channel length of the transistor device is the lengthextending from source/drain region 204 to source/drain region 206. Thechannel characteristics of the device can be influenced by tailoring thedopant concentrations and types along the channel length. Additionally,characteristics of the device can be influenced by the type of materialsutilized for pedestals 200 and 202. For instance, if epitaxial materialis utilized for the pedestals, such material tends to be relativelyleaky compared to other semiconductor materials. In some aspects it canbe advantageous to have the source/drain region associated with thedigit line be relatively leaky while the source/drain region associatedwith the memory storage device be less leaky. In such aspects it can beadvantageous to form the pedestals associated with the digit linesource/drain region to comprise, consist essentially of, or consist ofconductively-doped epitaxial semiconductor material (such as, epitaxialsilicon) while the pedestal associated with the source/drain region ofthe memory storage device comprises, consists essentially of, orconsists of conductively-doped semiconductor material which is notepitaxial, such as, for example, conductively-doped silicon which is notepitaxial. If the non-epitaxial semiconductor material is silicon, suchcan be in the form of, for example, amorphous silicon or polycrystallinesilicon. As indicated above, in particular aspects pedestal 200 will beassociated with a digit line and pedestal 202 will be associated with amemory storage device.

Another aspect of the invention is described with reference to FIG. 125.In referring to FIG. 125, similar numbering will be used as was usedabove in describing FIG. 124. FIG. 125 shows a construction 10comprising gateline material 94, a pair of pedestals 200 and 202,substrate 12, and gate dielectric material 92. Pedestals 200 and 202comprise the heavily-doped source/drain regions 204 and 206, but differfrom the pedestals described in FIG. 124 in that the pedestals of FIG.125 are identical to one another and both comprise lightly-doped (shownas p−) regions extending between the heavily-doped regions 204 and 206and the substrate 12. The substrate 12 comprises p− dopinginterconnecting the pedestals 200 and 202. As discussed above withreference to FIG. 124, both of the pedestals can comprise the samecomposition as one another, or alternatively one of the pedestals can beepitaxial while the other is not.

FIG. 126 shows yet another aspect of the invention. Similar numberingwill be used in referring to FIG. 126 as was used above in describingFIGS. 124 and 125. FIG. 126 comprises the gateline material 94, gatedielectric material 92, substrate 12, pedestals 200 and 202, andheavily-doped source/drain regions 204 and 206 described previously. Theconstruction of FIG. 126 differs from those of FIGS. 124 and 125 inseveral aspects. First, the construction of FIG. 126 comprises spacers216 and 218 proximate the pedestal 202. Such spacers can narrow pedestal202 relative to pedestal 200 (i.e., reduce a horizontal cross-sectionalwidth of pedestal 202 relative to the horizontal cross-sectional widthof pedestal 200). Spacers 216 can be provided in additional processingsteps beyond those described above with reference FIGS. 1–123 bymethodology which will be recognized by persons of ordinary skill in theart. Spacers 216 and 218 can comprise, for example, silicon nitride. Theutilization of spacers 216 and 218 adjacent pedestal 202 but notadjacent pedestal 200 can allow the electrical characteristics ofpedestals 202 and 200 to be specifically tailored to the particularapplications that the pedestals are to be utilized in, which can beadvantageous in some aspects of the invention. The control of thepedestal width can allow additional control beyond that which can beobtained by controlling doping alone within the pedestal. Although thepedestals are shown having different widths relative to one another, itis to be understood that spacers analogous to 216 and 218 can also beformed adjacent pedestal 200 so that pedestal 200 is also narrowed.

The substrate 12 is shown comprising the conductively-doped diffusionregions 210 and 212 discussed previously with reference to FIG. 124, andpedestals 200 and 202 are shown comprising the same type of doping aswas discussed with reference to FIG. 124. It is to be understood,however, that the aspect of the invention of utilization of spacersadjacent one of the pedestals can be used with any appropriate doping ofthe pedestals and substrate, and that the aspect of FIG. 126 is but oneof many aspects of the invention.

FIGS. 124–126 illustrate exemplary aspects of the invention, and it isto be understood that the invention also encompasses variousmodifications of such aspects. For instance, the dopant types shown inthe figures can be reversed relative to the shown aspects. Thus, all ofthe n-type regions can be converted to opposite conductivity (i.e.p-type) regions, and likewise the p-type regions can be converted toopposite-conductivity (i.e. n-type) regions.

Methodology of the invention can be used in numerous applications. Forinstance, the invention can be utilized for forming two-verticaltransistor, one-capacitor 4F² DRAM cells. In particular aspects, theinvention can be considered to comprise vertical DRAM cell technology.One transistor is utilized to connect the cell to a substrate, andanother transistor connects the digit line to the substrate. Theself-aligned lateral transistor connects vertical source/drain regionpedestals to one another. The cell can have low digit capacitance andlow wordline resistance, and also can have redundancy against verticalaxis problems.

Although the gateline is shown extending entirely around source/drainregions in the shown aspects of the invention, it is to be understoodthat the invention encompasses other aspects (not shown) in which thegateline extends less than fully around the source/drain regions. Forinstance, the gateline can extend one-quarter of the way around thesource/drain region, halfway around the source/drain region,three-quarters of the way around the source/drain region, etc.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the methodologyof FIGS. 1–123 advantageously self-aligns numerous features relative toone another.

FIG. 127 illustrates generally, by way of example, but not by way oflimitation, an embodiment of a computer system 400 according to anaspect of the present invention. Computer system 400 includes a monitor401 or other communication output device, a keyboard 402 or othercommunication input device, and a motherboard 404. Motherboard 404 cancarry a microprocessor 406 or other data processing unit, and at leastone memory device 408. Memory device 408 can comprise various aspects ofthe invention described above. Memory device 408 can comprise an arrayof memory cells, and such array can be coupled with addressing circuitryfor accessing individual memory cells in the array. Further, the memorycell array can be coupled to a read circuit for reading data from thememory cells. The addressing and read circuitry can be utilized forconveying information between memory device 408 and processor 406. Suchis illustrated in the block diagram of the motherboard 404 shown in FIG.128. In such block diagram, the addressing circuitry is illustrated as410 and the read circuitry is illustrated as 412. Various components ofcomputer system 400, including processor 406, can comprise one or moreof the constructions described previously in this disclosure.

Processor device 406 can correspond to a processor module, andassociated memory utilized with the module can comprise teachings of thepresent invention.

Memory device 408 can correspond to a memory module. For example, singlein-line memory modules (SIMMs) and dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs)may be used in the implementation which utilize the teachings of thepresent invention. The memory device can be incorporated into any of avariety of designs which provide different methods of reading from andwriting to memory cells of the device. One such method is the page modeoperation. Page mode operations in a DRAM are defined by the method ofaccessing a row of a memory cell arrays and randomly accessing differentcolumns of the array. Data stored at the row and column intersection canbe read and output while that column is accessed.

An alternate type of device is the extended data output (EDO) memorywhich allows data stored at a memory array address to be available asoutput after the addressed column has been closed. This memory canincrease some communication speeds by allowing shorter access signalswithout reducing the time in which memory output data is available on amemory bus. Other alternative types of devices include SDRAM, DDR SDRAM,SLDRAM, VRAM and Direct RDRAM, as well as others such as SRAM or Flashmemories.

Memory device 408 can comprise memory formed in accordance with one ormore aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 129 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a high-levelorganization of various embodiments of an exemplary electronic system700 of the present invention. System 700 can correspond to, for example,a computer system, a process control system, or any other system thatemploys a processor and associated memory. Electronic system 700 hasfunctional elements, including a processor or arithmetic/logic unit(ALU) 702, a control unit 704, a memory device unit 706 and aninput/output (I/O) device 708. Generally, electronic system 700 willhave a native set of instructions that specify operations to beperformed on data by the processor 702 and other interactions betweenthe processor 702, the memory device unit 706 and the I/O devices 708.The control unit 704 coordinates all operations of the processor 702,the memory device 706 and the I/O devices 708 by continuously cyclingthrough a set of operations that cause instructions to be fetched fromthe memory device 706 and executed. In various embodiments, the memorydevice 706 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM)devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, and peripheral devices such asa floppy disk drive and a compact disk CD-ROM drive. One of ordinaryskill in the art will understand, upon reading and comprehending thisdisclosure, that any of the illustrated electrical components arecapable of being fabricated to include memory constructions inaccordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 130 is a simplified block diagram of a high-level organization ofvarious embodiments of an exemplary electronic system 800. The system800 includes a memory device 802 that has an array of memory cells 804,address decoder 806, row access circuitry 808, column access circuitry810, read/write control circuitry 812 for controlling operations, andinput/output circuitry 814. The memory device 802 further includes powercircuitry 816, and sensors 820, such as current sensors for determiningwhether a memory cell is in a low-threshold conducting state or in ahigh-threshold non-conducting state. The illustrated power circuitry 816includes power supply circuitry 880, circuitry 882 for providing areference voltage, circuitry 884 for providing the first wordline withpulses, circuitry 886 for providing the second wordline with pulses, andcircuitry 888 for providing the bitline with pulses. The system 800 alsoincludes a processor 822, or memory controller for memory accessing.

The memory device 802 receives control signals 824 from the processor822 over wiring or metallization lines. The memory device 802 is used tostore data which is accessed via I/O lines. It will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that additional circuitry and control signalscan be provided, and that the memory device 802 has been simplified tohelp focus on the invention. At least one of the processor 822 or memorydevice 802 can include a memory construction of the type describedpreviously in this disclosure.

The various illustrated systems of this disclosure are intended toprovide a general understanding of various applications for thecircuitry and structures of the present invention, and are not intendedto serve as a complete description of all the elements and features ofan electronic system using memory cells in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention. One of the ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the various electronic systems can be fabricated insingle-package processing units, or even on a single semiconductor chip,in order to reduce the communication time between the processor and thememory device(s).

Applications for memory cells can include electronic systems for use inmemory modules, device drivers, power modules, communication modems,processor modules, and application-specific modules, and may includemultilayer, multichip modules. Such circuitry can further be asubcomponent of a variety of electronic systems, such as a clock, atelevision, a cell phone, a personal computer, an automobile, anindustrial control system, an aircraft, and others.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific as to structural and methodical features.It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited tothe specific features shown and described, since the means hereindisclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents.

1. A method for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: providinga semiconductor substrate; forming a first material and a secondmaterial over the substrate, the first and second materials beingselectively etchable relative to one another, the first material beingformed to be a lattice and the second material being formed to berepeating regions spaced from one another by segments of the lattice,the repeating regions forming an array, the array having a defined firstpitch along a first axis and a defined second pitch along a second axissubstantially orthogonal to the first axis; the second pitch being abouttwice as big as the first pitch; replacing at least some of the firstmaterial of the lattice with one or more conductive materials of agateline; and replacing at least some of the second material with dopedsemiconductor material to form elevationally-elongated source/drainregions over the substrate.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein thereplacing at least some of the first material occurs before thereplacing at least some of the second material.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein the replacing at least some of the second material occurs beforethe replacing at least some of the first material.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the first material comprises silicon nitride and thesecond material comprises silicon dioxide.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein the first material consists essentially of silicon nitride andthe second material consists essentially of silicon dioxide.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the first material comprises silicon dioxideand the second material comprises silicon nitride.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the first material consists essentially of silicondioxide and the second material consists essentially of silicon nitride.8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more conductive materials ofthe gateline include conductively-doped silicon.
 9. The method of claim1 wherein the one or more conductive materials of the gateline includeone or more metals.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or moreconductive materials of the gateline include one or more metal alloys.11. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprisesmonocrystalline semiconductor material and wherein at least some of thedoped semiconductor material of the elevationally-elongated source/drainregions is epitaxially grown from the monocrystalline semiconductormaterial of the substrate.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein: thesubstrate comprises monocrystalline semiconductor material; some of thedoped semiconductor material of the elevationally-elongated source/drainregions is single crystal material epitaxially grown from themonocrystalline semiconductor material of the substrate; and some of thedoped semiconductor material of the elevationally-elongated source/drainregions is not single crystal material.
 13. The method of claim 1further comprising forming a digit line over and in electricalconnection with some of the elevationally-elongated source/drainregions.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the digit line is over andin electrical connection with a first set of the elevationally-elongatedsource/drain regions, and is not in electrical connection with a secondset of the source/drain regions; and further comprising forming memorystorage devices over and in electrical connection with the second set ofsource/drain regions.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the memorystorage devices are capacitors.
 16. A method for forming a semiconductorstructure, comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming anitride-containing material lattice over the substrate; the latticedefining an array of non-nitride regions spaced from one another bysegments of the lattice; replacing the nitride-containing material ofthe lattice with one or more conductive materials of a dateline;replacing non-nitride regions with doped semiconductor material to formelevationally-elongated source/drain regions; and wherein the array hasa defined first pitch along a first axis and a defined second pitchalong a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis; andwherein the second pitch is larger than the first pitch.
 17. The methodof claim 16 wherein the second pitch is about twice as big as the firstpitch.
 18. A method for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising:providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a nitrite-containingmaterial lattice over the substrate; the lattice defining an array ofnon-nitride regions spaced from one another by segments of the lattice;replacing the nitride-containing material of the lattice with one ormore conductive materials of a gateline; replacing non-nitride regionswith doped semiconductor material to form elevationally-elongatedsource/drain regions; and wherein the doped semiconductor materialcomprises epitaxially-grown silicon.
 19. The method of claim 18 whereinthe doped semiconductor material consists essentially of dopedepitaxially-grown silicon.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the dopedsemiconductor material consists of doped epitaxially-grown silicon. 21.A method for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: providing asemiconductor substrate; forming a nitride-containing material latticeover the substrate; the lattice defining an array of non-nitride regionsfaced from one another by segments of the lattice; replacing thenitride-containing material of the lattice with one or more conductivematerials of a gateline; replacing non-nitride regions with dopedsemiconductor material to form elevationally-elongated source/drainregions; and further comprising forming a digit line over and inelectrical connection with some of the elevationally-elongatedsource/drain regions.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the digit lineis over and in electrical connection with a first set of theelevationally-elongated source/drain regions, and is not in electricalconnection with a second set of the source/drain regions; and furthercomprising forming memory storage devices over and in electricalconnection with the second set of source/drain regions.
 23. The methodof claim 22 wherein the memory storage devices are capacitors.
 24. Amethod for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: providing afirst semiconductor material; forming an oxide-containing material overthe first semiconductor material; forming openings extending through theoxide-containing material; forming nitride-containing spacers within theopenings to narrow the openings; extending the narrowed openings intothe first semiconductor material, the narrowed openings having a firstportion extending within the first semiconductor material and a secondportion over the first portion; providing a dielectric material to fillthe first portion of the openings and leave the second portion notfilled; providing a nitride-containing material over the dielectricmaterial to fill the second portion of the openings; replacing theoxide-containing material with a doped second semiconductor material toform elevationally-elongated source/drain regions; and replacing thenitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacers with one ormore conductive materials of a gateline.
 25. The method of claim 24wherein the nitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacerscomprise the same composition as one another.
 26. The method of claim 24wherein the nitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacerscomprise silicon nitride.
 27. The method of claim 24 wherein thenitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacers consistessentially of silicon nitride.
 28. The method of claim 24 wherein thenitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacers consist ofsilicon nitride.
 29. The method of claim 24 wherein the dielectricmaterial is a first dielectric material, and further comprisingproviding a second dielectric material between theelevationally-elongated source/drain regions and the gateline.
 30. Themethod of claim 24 further comprising forming a digit line in electricalconnection with some of the source/drain regions, and forming capacitorconstructions in electrical connection with others of the source/drainregions.
 31. The method of claim 30 wherein the digit line is formed tobe elevationally above said some of the source/drain regions.
 32. Themethod of claim 24 wherein the first semiconductor material ismonocrystalline silicon, and wherein the second semiconductor materialis silicon epitaxially grown from the first semiconductor material. 33.The method of claim 24 wherein the openings are trenches longitudinallyelongated along a defined horizontal direction, wherein thenitride-containing material is a first nitride-containing material, andwherein the first nitride-containing material within the openings is inthe form of strips extending longitudinally in the horizontal direction;the method further comprising: forming a second nitride-containingmaterial in strips extending along a defined vertical direction; thefirst and second nitride-containing materials together forming alattice; wherein the oxide-containing material is in the form of anarray of pillars, individual pillars of the array being surrounded bythe lattice of the first and second nitride-containing materials; andreplacing the second nitride-containing material with said one or moreconductive materials simultaneously with the replacing of the firstnitride-containing material.
 34. The method of claim 33 wherein thefirst and second nitride-containing materials comprise the samecomposition as one another.
 35. The method of claim 33 wherein the firstand second nitride-containing materials comprise silicon nitride. 36.The method of claim 33 wherein the first and second nitride-containingmaterials consist essentially of silicon nitride.
 37. The method ofclaim 33 wherein the first and second nitride-containing materialsconsist of silicon nitride.
 38. A method for forming a semiconductorstructure, comprising: providing a first semiconductor material; formingan oxide-containing material over the first semiconductor material;forming a hard mask layer over the oxide-containing material; patterningthe hard mask layer into a plurality of spaced lines extending along adefined horizontal direction, the spaced lines being separated by firstgaps; forming nitride-containing spacers along the hard mask to narrowthe first gaps; extending the narrowed first gaps through theoxide-containing material; removing the hard mask layer while leavingthe nitride-containing spacers; the spacers forming sets of paired linesextending along the narrowed first gaps; filling the narrowed first gapswith a first nitride-containing material, the first nitride-containingmaterial extending upwardly between the sets of paired lines to formnitride-containing pillars over the oxide-containing material, the firstnitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacers togetherbeing incorporated into spaced horizontally-extending pillars over theoxide-containing material, the spaced horizontally-extending pillarsbeing separated by second gaps; extending the second gaps through theoxide-containing material; and filling the second gaps with a secondnitride-containing material.
 39. The method of claim 38 wherein theoxide-containing material comprises silicon dioxide.
 40. The method ofclaim 38 wherein: the filling the narrowed first gaps with the firstnitride-containing material comprises forming the firstnitride-containing material over the nitride-containing spacers andacross regions of the oxide between the nitride-containing spacers thatare ultimately to be the second gaps; and the incorporating the firstnitride-containing material and nitride-containing spacers into thespaced horizontally-extending pillars comprises anistropically etchingthe first nitride-containing material to remove the firstnitride-containing material from across the regions and thereby form thesecond gaps.
 41. The method of claim 38 wherein: the first and secondnitride-containing materials are the same as one another in composition;the spaced lines and first gaps repeat along a vertical direction todefine a first vertical pitch, the first vertical pitch having a firstdistance corresponding to a line/first gap pair; the firstnitride-containing material within the narrowed first gaps and thesecond nitride-containing material within the second gaps formhorizontally-extending nitride-containing lines spaced from one anotherby lines of the oxide-containing material; the lines of oxide-containingmaterial and lines of nitride-containing material forming a repeatingpattern along the vertical direction to define a second vertical pitch,the second vertical pitch having a second distance corresponding to anitride-containing-material line/oxide-containing-material line pair;and the second distance is about one-half of the first distance.
 42. Themethod of claim 38 wherein the nitride-containing spacers, firstnitride-containing material and second nitride-containing material allcontain the same composition as one another and together areincorporated into a nitride-containing lattice, and further comprisingforming a plurality of transistor constructions by: replacing at leastsome of the nitride-containing lattice with one or moreelectrically-conductive gateline materials; and replace at least some ofthe oxide-containing material with conductively-doped source/drainstructures.
 43. The method of claim 42 wherein the composition of thenitride-containing spacers, first nitride-containing material and secondnitride-containing material comprises silicon nitride.
 44. The method ofclaim 42 wherein the composition of the nitride-containing spacers,first nitride-containing material and second nitride-containing materialconsists essentially of silicon nitride.
 45. The method of claim 42wherein the composition of the nitride-containing spacers, firstnitride-containing material and second nitride-containing materialconsists of silicon nitride.